Besides
providing details about my background and my books, this site offers
consumer information on gems, jewelry, appraisers and
other books. My
goal is to provide consumers and jewelry professionals
with unbiased, affordable information on how to buy, evaluate and appreciate gems
and jewelry. But the consumer principles I stress in my gem books
can also be applied to other subject areas such as health. In both
cases, you should be informed, deal with competent professionals and get
proper documentation.

A
revised and updated 3rd Edition of my Diamond Handbook with 178
new photographs, an expanded chapter on detecting synthetic diamonds and
a new chapter on detecting diamond imitations. Click here
for more information.

An updated 6th Edition
of the Pearl Buying Guide with 186 new photosand recent pearls and jewelry styles.Click
here for more information.

A new Third
edition of the Gemstone Buying Guide with 323 new color photos
and additional gem species and varieties.

Click
here for more information about the Third Edition of the Gemstone
Buying Guide.

A 4th Volume of Exotic
Gems featuring jade and including a chapter on abalone pearls.

An eBook version of the Gem & Jewelry
Pocket Guide: A traveler's guide to buying diamonds, colored gems,
pearls, gold and platinum jewelry was
released on Apple I books,
Amazon Kindle, and
Barnes &
Noble Nook. It has updated
information and many new photos.

1.
When selecting jewelry,
ask
jewelers to rate the quality of the craftsmanship and explain their
rating.
Jewelers
that sell well-made jewelry like the opportunity to show why their
mountings and settings are better than those of competitors. Their
answers will help you learn to judge quality and select a competent
jeweler.

2.Look at the back of the piece.If it looks smooth and cleanly finished, chances are it's
well-constructed.

3.If
there's a clasp, verify that it works. Try to open and close it by
yourself a couple times. Listen for the click.

Then pull at the clasp gently to see if it comes apart

or remains secure.

4.Check
for rough and sharp edges by rubbing the piece lightly against your
skin and clothing.

5.Select sturdy mountings for everyday rings and bracelets. Rings
that are very thin and bracelets that can bend and dent do not last
long. Platinum mountings can normally be thinner and more delicate than
those made of gold and silver. This is because platinum is more dense
and stronger than most gold and silver alloys.

6.Get a detailed receipt. The receipt should include:

* The
identity and purity of the metal(s)

* The
identity and shape of the stones

* The
carat weight of any major stone and the total weight of any smaller
stones of each gem type.

* The
treatment status of the major stones---Are the color and clarity natural?

7.Check to see if there’s a karat stamp or fineness mark and a
trademark on the piece.Even
though these marks aren’t necessarily a guarantee that the metal
content is as stamped, they’re an indication. If you ever decide to
resell the piece later on, these marks would be important. To accurately
compare prices you must know the gold, platinum or palladium content.

The trademark is a mark that indicates the manufacturer, importer
or seller of an item. In the
USA
, trademarks must be registered with the Patent and Trademark Office.
Any item that has a quality mark should have a registered trademark,
which indicates that the manufacturer stands behind its quality mark. If
you’d like information and photos on how to read and interpret metal
quality marks, consult Newman’s newest book—Gold,
Platinum, Palladium, Silver & Other Jewelry Metals.

Trademarks
of The Newman Gem & Jewelry Series

Loaded with detailed info on how to judge gem
and jewelry quality. Since
jewelry stores normally don't describe the quality of
colored gems, pearls or jewelry mountings, you must learn how to judge
it yourself in order to get good buys and make wise choices. My books show you how.

Well illustrated. The main points are
explained with color photos and diagrams, which are linked to the text. It’s
time-consuming and costly to do this, but readers appreciate the
numerous high-quality illustrations showing gems unmounted as well as
set in attractive jewelry with and without magnification.

Written in clear English without a lot of
trade jargon and euphemisms. Cracks are called cracks or fractures, not
"feathers." Fracture filling and laser drilling treatments
are identified as such, rather than just referred to as clarity
enhancements.

Unbiased and objective because their
underlying motive is not to sell you jewelry or
related services; it's to educate.Even though
I used to work full-time in the gem
and jewelry industry, I now make my living by writing about gems
and jewelry.